{"id":18709,"date":"2026-11-11T15:26:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T15:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.internal.slimmingworld.co.uk\/?p=18709"},"modified":"2026-11-11T15:27:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T15:27:17","slug":"weight-loss-medication-support-not-stigma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/weight-loss-medication-support-not-stigma\/","title":{"rendered":"Weight loss medication: People need support not stigma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Worrying new survey results show that stigma around taking weight-loss medication may be putting people off seeking the essential diet and lifestyle support that should go alongside treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The YouGov survey of 2130 UK adults found that;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>just 52% would tell their GP if another provider prescribed them weight-loss medication<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>one in eight (12%) wouldn&#8217;t tell anyone at all<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>weight-loss medication was the only weight loss method in the survey that more people would feel uncomfortable (46%) than comfortable (39%) telling friends and family about<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When asked why they might feel uncomfortable telling people, the top reasons were that it&#8217;s personal, worries around getting unwanted comments or advice, and fear of judgement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our own survey of 380 Slimming World members using weight loss medication has found that support from prescribers is often lacking, with fewer than half of those prescribed medication through the NHS, and around two-thirds of those prescribed privately, receiving any support from their prescriber. Where they did, it rarely went beyond general advice on healthy eating or portion sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/nearest-group-search\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"115\" src=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Group-Feel-Real-Good-Food-Small-CTA.jpg\" alt=\"Feel Real Good - Group small CTA\" class=\"wp-image-11365\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slimming World&#8217;s weight loss medication support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/\">Slimming World<\/a>, we know that healthy eating and behaviour-change support is crucial for lasting weight loss results. And this lack of support from prescribers, combined with a reluctance to seek support from a GP, is creating a worrying \u2018support gap\u2019 for those taking weight loss medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To tackle this, we provide expert support and tailored resources for members on weight loss medication, in our judgement-free Slimming World groups and through our digital service, Slimming World Online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our members can access tailored GLP-1 guidance through our weight loss medication hub, including:\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>practical advice for eating well with a reduced appetite\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>evidence-based information on protein, fibre and hydration to support energy, digestion and health\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>muscle-strengthening activity videos for all abilities\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ways to manage side effects and changing hunger\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>support for when your medication changes or stops\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a Q&amp;A video and special podcast episode, with Slimming World\u2019s expert nutrition team\u202f<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/glp-1-support\">More about Slimming World&#8217;s support for members on weight loss medications<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meet the Slimming World member<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/real-life-stories\/yvonne-ashley\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/yvonne-ashley-stitch.jpg\" alt=\"Yvonne Ashley before and after\" class=\"wp-image-18694\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Slimming World member, Yvonne Ashley, has lost more than 7st through combining weight loss medication with the healthy habits and support of Slimming World. She says; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI joined Slimming World as an online member at the start of 2025 and had lost about a stone when I decided to start taking Mounjaro in April. I knew that I needed to change my mindset and my relationship with food \u2013 and the combination really worked. The weight loss medication helped quieten my constant thoughts about food, while Slimming World showed me how to eat well and build healthy routines I could genuinely live with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By January 2026, I\u2019d lost 6st 9\u00bdlbs (42.4kg). As I started reducing my Mounjaro, I decided I wanted the extra accountability and support of an in-person Slimming World group, so I swapped my online membership for weekly group sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be honest, coming off Mounjaro felt daunting. But I felt reassured knowing I had my Consultant, my group and the Food Optimising plan behind me. Since then, I\u2019ve gone on to lose another 10lbs. The medication helped me get started, but Slimming World has given me the tools and support to make those changes last.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/real-life-stories\/yvonne-ashley\">Read Yvonne\u2019s weight loss success story here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/what-happens-online\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Online-Feel-Real-Good-Campaign-Food-Small-CTA.jpg\" alt=\"Feel Real Good - Online small CTA\" class=\"wp-image-11364\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expert support \u2013 without judgement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Slimming World is committed to providing that vital layer of support to members who are taking weight loss medication (including Mounjaro, Ozempic or Wegovy), helping them to maintain their weight loss long after the prescription ends.&nbsp;Our head of nutrition, health and research,&nbsp;Carolyn Pallister, explains more about why this is so important;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;People using obesity management medications need lifestyle support as much as anyone, and often even more so: to meet nutritional needs while eating less, to build manageable physical activity into their day and to develop habits and strategies that help them keep the weight off and maintain a healthy life in the long-term. It&#8217;s deeply concerning that people taking this step to improve their health feel they have to keep it to themselves, and that needs to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Slimming World, we\u2019ve heard from members who decided to use our services along with their medication because the medication on its own didn\u2019t show them how to eat well on smaller portions, get more active or change habits built up over years. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve created a whole package of guidance and training for our Consultants who run our groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve equipped them with the knowledge to support members using these medications effectively and provide the encouragement, accountability and practical strategies that can help them eat more nutritiously, lose weight healthily and keep the weight off long after the prescription ends. We want to make sure all our members receive our non-judgmental behaviour change support and feel welcome, whatever route they\u2019ve taken to improve their health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join our supportive weight loss community today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019d love to welcome you to a Slimming World group, or to our digital service, Slimming World Online, where you\u2019ll get all the help you need to achieve the real, long-lasting results you want. If you have questions about joining Slimming World while you\u2019re taking weight loss medications, please give your local Consultant a call.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/group-or-online-membership\">Join Slimming World<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n    <section class=\"block-embedded-widget-area alignwide\">\n        \t\t\t<section id=\"mm-newsletter-widget-3\" class=\"widget mm-newsletter-widget\">\t\n\t\t<div id=\"mm-newsletter-widget\" class=\"mm-newsletter-widget-form\" data-thanks_page=\"0\" data-thanks_page_url=\"\" data-thanks_page_new_window=\"0\">\n            <div class=\"wrapper\">\n                <aside>\n                    <header>\n                        <h2>Free 7-day eating plan<\/h4>\n                    <\/header>\n                    <p>You&#8217;ll also get our email newsletter with recipes, inspiration and exciting special offers<\/p>\n                <\/aside>\n\n                <div class=\"form-wrapper\">\n                    <form action=\"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18709\" method=\"post\" id=\"newsletter-form\">\n\n                        <fieldset>\n                            <label class=\"input-label\">First name<\/label>\n                            <input type=\"text\" name=\"firstName\" placeholder=\"Enter your first name\" title=\"Enter your first name\" required>\n                        <\/fieldset>\n\n                        <fieldset>\n                            <label class=\"input-label\">Email address<\/label>\n                            <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Enter your email address\" title=\"Enter your email address\" required>\n                        <\/fieldset>\n\n                        <fieldset>\n                                                            <div class=\"input-radio\">\n                                    <input id=\"classic-menu\" class=\"classic-menu\" type=\"radio\" name=\"menuType\" value=\"Classic\" checked>\n                                    <label for=\"classic-menu\">\n                                        I&#8217;d like the classic menu                                    <\/label>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                                                        <div class=\"input-radio\">\n                                    <input id=\"vegetarian-menu\" class=\"vegetarian-menu\" type=\"radio\" name=\"menuType\" value=\"Vegetarian\">\n                                    <label for=\"vegetarian-menu\">\n                                        I&#8217;d like the vegetarian menu                                    <\/label>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                                                        <div class=\"input-radio\">\n                                    <input id=\"vegan-menu\" class=\"vegan-menu\" type=\"radio\" name=\"menuType\" value=\"Vegan\">\n                                    <label for=\"vegan-menu\">\n                                        I&#8217;d like the vegan menu                                    <\/label>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                    <\/fieldset>\n\n                        <div class=\"button-wrapper\">\n                            <div class=\"g-recaptcha\" data-sitekey=\"6LdLR7cZAAAAAFDxo_6diZKq91dLeqE45o9GkrNL\" data-theme=\"light\" data-size=\"normal\"><\/div>\n                            <button class=\"submit is-secondary animation-light-background\" type=\"submit\" name=\"submit\">Sign me up<\/button>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/form>\n\n                    <p class=\"message-success\">Thank you for signing up. We just need you to verify your email address. Please check your inbox for a message from us and click on the verification link so we can keep you up to date with our latest menus, recipes and offers.<\/p><p class=\"message-error message-error-0\">Failed captcha.<\/p><p class=\"message-error message-error-1\">Please check your inbox for a message from us and click on the verification link so we can keep you up to date with our latest menus, recipes and offers.<\/p><p class=\"message-error message-error-3\">Good news, you&#8217;re already on our email list. Look out for emails from us packed full of recipe inspiration.<\/p><p class=\"message-error message-error-default\">Something went wrong.<\/p>                <\/div>\n\t\t    <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/section>\t\n    <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Only half of UK adults would tell their GP if they were prescribed weight-loss medication elsewhere, new research shows<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":18692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[25,16,23,26],"class_list":["post-18709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discover","tag-mens-health-and-weight-loss","tag-slimming-world-news","tag-weight-loss-before-and-after","tag-womens-health-and-weight-loss","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18709"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18722,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18709\/revisions\/18722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}